We teach kinder kids
strong foundations in literacy so they
can be confident and
happy learners.
Plus, we make it fun and
super achievable.
Clever Kiddies will have your child falling in love with all things literacy and feeling super confident to start school.
The program is an evidence-based, multi-sensory, systematic synthetic phonics program that is delivered in an exciting, age-appropriate way.
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The program also focuses on phonological and phonemic awareness, skills that are the greatest predictors of reading success.
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You’ll be amazed to see your child read, with some children starting to read real stories once they know the first 8 ‘sounds’ of our program. In addition to reading, writing, and spelling, students will also learn basic mathematical concepts.
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Parents are given information and coaching on how you can better support your child on their learning journey, and we send home weekly communication letting you know what your child has acheived.
What parents are saying...
SARAH, PARENT
Participating in Clever Kiddies has been the best thing for our son Tom. He is usually very shy and hesitant to participate, but Amanda has been amazing, she has brought him out of his shell and he has developed so much confidence after attending Clever Kiddies. Tom looks forward to the class all week and the program has instilled a thirst for learning .
JO, PARENT
Clever Kiddies was the best stepping stone into school for our child. Amanda's program was highly engaging and taught our child the foundations of reading during the kinder year along with notes and videos for parents to allow us to support learning at home. It is very clear our child gained a solid literacy foundation and would go as far to say it was the best thing we have done leading up to starting school.
REBECCA, PARENT
This is a wonderful class that gave my child so much confidence when starting school. I was lucky enough to see some classes in action - kids were practicing letter sounds in such fun ways and my child was always excited to find out who they were meeting each week. I feel like I too now have skills now to support my child's reading better at home.
"Up to 30% of kids will struggle with reading at school, and it can sometimes be the kids you least expect.
I'm on a mission to change that."
Hi, I'm Amanda!
Hello, I’m Amanda, the founder and creator of the Clever Kiddies pre-school program. Having worked as both a secondary and primary school teacher I have seen so many kids struggle with reading and writing. Unfortunately, a students’ ability to read and write will make or break their schooling experience. That’s why I’ve created this program - to give kids strong foundational skills BEFORE they start school, so that nothing is left to chance.
As a teacher, I know that even if a school teaches reading well, it’s hard for kids to get the attention they need if they aren’t ‘getting’ what’s being taught. The problem is there is no way of knowing if that will be your child until it happens, and as a parent to a kinder kid, this freaked me out. How was I going to know if my child was one of those kids who needed that extra help? (and believe me, sometimes it’s the kids you least expect!)
I wasn’t leaving anything to chance, so I went and spent time in schools that excel in foundational literacy. I picked the brains of principals and speech pathologists, read mountains of research papers, and undertook copious amounts of professional learning. The end result is this program.
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The program is an evidence-based, multi-sensory, systematic, synthetic phonics program that is delivered in an exciting, age-appropriate way.
The program also covers phonological and phonemic awareness, skills that is the greatest predictor of reading success.
My hope is to give these skills to as many kids as possible before they start school, so that they can thrive and develop a lifelong love of learning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why would kids need a program like this before they start school? Isn’t that what school is for?
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Research has proven that ‘adjustment to school is supported when children have basic literacy and numeracy skills and the support of sensitive adults’ (Associate Professor Kay Margetts - Lecturer in Early Childhood and Primary Teacher Education). Research has also shown that kids who participate in literacy programs BEFORE they start school reap benefits throughout all of their schooling, not just in the first year.
The other thing to consider is not every school teaches phonics explicitly. That’s fine for some kids, but other kids (up to 30%) will struggle to learn to read if the correct foundations are not laid early. If a child is struggling with reading at school it is often not picked up until grade one, and by that stage the student will have large knowledge gaps and often a negative association with reading. The Clever Kiddies program is a way of helping the transition to school, which can often be quite stressful for kids.
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Does my child need to know how to read before they go to school?
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Starting school with confidence is really important. The demands, both socially and academically, are huge in the first year of school.
Learning to read is not easy or natural. It is a complex process. Oral language and pre-literacy, phonological awareness skills support early reading and writing development. Skilled readers have good decoding skills (word recognition); understand what they read (comprehension) and read with fluency.
A child’s level of phonological awareness (ability to identify sounds and sound patterns in language) is an important predictor of their later reading development.
We believe that if your child begins school knowing something about sounds, reading and writing, it can make a significant difference to how they feel as a learner and how easily they settle into that new school routine and expectations.
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Will my child be bored in Prep if they have attended the Clever Kiddies program?
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Not at all. We do not teach the children everything they will learn in Prep. We help the children develop the skills that will assist them with their transition into school. If anything, it helps them, as they will feel confident and want to excel when they come across these concepts at school.
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My child has a speech &/or language delay, will this program help them?
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YES! Children with speech and language delays often have difficulty with literacy skills as well. Children who have difficulty pronouncing or understanding certain speech sounds may have difficulty with reading and writing those sounds as well. This can lead to trouble decoding and sounding out words.
Children with language delays may not fully understand all parts of language, such as grammar, syntax, vocabulary, etc. This can lead to problems understanding text or putting ideas into writing in a logical manner.
Before children are ready to read, write, and spell, they develop phonological awareness skills. These skills help them understand how words are made up of sounds and that sounds are represented by letters. These skills are essential for reading and are often impaired in children with speech disorders, especially phonological disorders.
We help your child develop phonological awareness skills by incorporating the following in their play-based activities:
- Rhyming
- Alliteration (same beginning sounds)
- Letter-sound correspondences
- Manipulating sounds in words
- Identifying sounds at the beginning, middle and end of words.
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